Five ear-catching tunes heard today:
KCHE (Cherokee, IA)
- In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning-Carly Simon (I'm more accustomed to hearing Simon's strong pop hits, such as "You're So Vain," "Anticipation," and "You Belong To Me." Upon hearing this, however, I realized how well her voice fits the thoughtfulness and sentimentality of standards.)
KCOU (Columbia, MO)
- One Last Dance-Baby Rose & Badbadnotgood (A strong '60s R&B throwback sound in the vocals. Brook Benton's "Rainy Night In Georgia" would flow smoothly into this.)
WBRH (Baton Rouge, LA)
- Black And White-Barbara Dennerlein (Considerable pep in Dennerlein's organ playing--and the whole combo, for that matter.)
- Skylark-Cassandra Wilson (I liked hearing this standard sung in Wilson's lower register with a more relaxed, unhurried approach than most versions.)
WPKN (Bridgeport, CT)
- Sweets For My Sweet-The Drifters (This doesn't get much airplay these days, but it should. The piano part underscores one of the group's catchiest rhythms and some its most infectious vocals, and it has my favorite closing vocal fade of any Drifters tune. I would segue it with the Raul Malo/Shelby Lynne version of "Takes Two To Tango.")
